


Does a Falling Star Scream?

by POPP_Writing_Group



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers: Prime
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Backstory, Canon Divergence, Minor Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-30
Updated: 2018-01-30
Packaged: 2019-03-11 13:09:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13524948
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/POPP_Writing_Group/pseuds/POPP_Writing_Group
Summary: Ella's take on Starscream backstory.





	Does a Falling Star Scream?

**Author's Note:**

> Written by: Ella

He stumbled along, trying to stifle a cough. The Energon cube he was clutching in his long fingers was worth more than anything in the lower levels of Cybertron and mechs would kill to get it. 

He took a deep breath and stood upright, feeling every joint creak in protest. It was important to put on a brave face, to never let them see your pain. 

He opened the door to a tiny apartment room and was almost knocked over by a rush of sparklings. 

“What’d you get?”

“Is that for us, Starscream?”

“I got hurt today!”

He laughed, truly laughed for the first time in a long time. 

“I brought Energon. Yes, it’s for you and I hope you’re better,” he said, addressing each sparkling in turn.

He turned and saw a femme standing in the doorway, a slight smile on her face. 

“For you, my sweet,” Starscream said, presenting the Energon cube with a bow and a flourish. 

She smiled and walked over.

“Where’d you get this, Starscream?”

“I bought it,” he answered, bending down and kissing her. 

She blushed.

“Are you mad at me, Stardust?” Starscream asked.

“No, I just hope it wasn’t that much.”

“Just two units. It’s fine, I checked.”

Stardust smiled and took the Energon cube. Starscream watched her walk off surrounded by sparklings, her armor plating swishing around her pedes. 

They had only been together for about two vorn, but in that time they had taken in four sparklings. Starscream was proud to call Stardust his mate, because she was kind and gentle, but wouldn’t back down from a fight.

The evening sun glinted off Stardust’s gold highlights and sharply contrasted them with her white body. Starscream sank into a chair and watched her divide the cube six ways.

“Here,” she said, handing him his portion.

“No,” Starscream shook his head. “Divide it among the others.”

“You sure?”

He nodded, ignoring the warnings telling him that his Energon levels were too low. Starscream stood up, untangling all his thin limbs.

Starscream hadn’t always been this thin, but he had purposely rebuilt parts of himself so he could survive on less Energon. It allowed the sparklings to grow faster and helped him feel slightly better about the messed-up life they had. 

A knock on the door startled him and he quickly hissed to the sparklings and Stardust, “Get into the back room.”

They obeyed, their little optics opened wide in fear, and Starscream crept towards the door. If it was a gang, then his only hope would be to hit them before they knew what happened. 

He threw open the door.

“Starscream.” 

The deep, gravelly voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Megatronus,” he sighed, relaxing out of his defensive stance. “You scared me.”

“It’s Megatron now,” the warrior said darkly.

That’s when Starscream noticed that Megatronus’ optics were a dark red color, but Starscream dismissed it. All Cybertronians had blue optics, so it was probably just a trick of the poor lighting.

“What are you doing here?” Starscream asked. “I thought you were supposed to be in a meeting with the elders . . .”

His voice trailed off at the stony look that came over the other mech’s face.

“Yes,” Megatron said. “I  _ was  _ supposed to be at that meeting, until Orion made a fool out of me and made my ideas look like the ramblings of an Energon-deprived maniac. Our plan’s time-table has moved forwards and I want you to see it unfold.”

Starscream eagerly nodded and said, “I will join you.”

He left the house without even saying good-bye and followed Megatron farther into the depths of Cybertron.

\--------------------------

The meeting was quiet and subdued. All the joking and conversations that had happened at every one of their other meetings was gone, replaced with a tense silence. 

Starscream shifted in his seat.  _ Where is Megatron?  _ He wondered. 

Beside him, Soundwave sat quietly, observing the other mechs. He was a tall, thin bot, with long fingers and a curious habit of knowing things that he shouldn’t or couldn’t know. So, because of that, he scared Starscream. 

The door opened and Megatron walked in, followed closely by another mech.

“Lord Megatron,” the other robot was saying. “I understand your need for an army, but do you really need this rabble? I can create you an army in two cycles without having to resort to the company of failed medics and traitors.”

Starscream frowned. He knew this mech. His name was Shockwave, a respected scientist until it came to public attention that he was trying to recreate ancient creatures from Cybertronian legend. He was then disgraced and fired from his job.

It also annoyed Starscream that Shockwave dared be offended by them when he himself was a reject like they were. Megatron didn’t seem to notice the jab at his followers and continued walking towards the center of the room with purposeful strides.

Shockwave took a seat right in front, shoving a smaller red mech out of the way.

“Hey!” the mech cried. “Watch the paint job!”

Shockwave ignored him as Megatron began to speak.

“Decepticons,” he began. “Too long have we suffered under the oppression of the rich and powerful. Forced to work for them. Slave for them. Fight for them. But no longer. 

“Today we will rise above our oppressors and destroy them.”

The rest of his speech was drowned out by the roar of the other mechs cheering and stomping their feet. An uneasy feeling started to grow in Starscream’s spark and he left the meeting and walked out into the cold night air. 

He frowned and started pacing, barely paying attention to the mechs around him.

_ This isn’t what I signed up for, _ he thought. 

_ Or is it?  _ another voice asked.  _ Are you sure about that? _

_ I’m sure, _ he protested.  _ I’m going to get my family off this planet before a war breaks out. _

As Starscream hurried off, he failed to notice the one-eyed mech watching him leave. 

\------------------------------

“Starscream, what are you doing here?” Stardust asked. “I wasn’t expecting you back for at least several lunes.”

“Things have changed,” he replied quickly. “Where’s the sparklings?”

“In the back room. Why?”

“We need to leave. Now.”

Starscream rushed around, putting a few data pads in a sack, along with the leftover Energon. 

“Starscream?” Stardust’s voice was concerned now. 

“What are you doing?” one of the sparklings asked, coming into the room. 

“Getting you ready to go,” Starscream replied. 

Just then the door was kicked in. Shockwave was standing there, his plasma cannon pointed in front of him. Starscream quickly got in front of Stardust and the sparklings.

“Why are you here?” Starscream demanded. 

“You are lacking motivation to Lord Megatron’s cause. I’m here to fix that.”

Shockwave walked farther into the room. Using his cannon, he knocked Starscream out of the way. Starscream hit the wall and slid to the ground. As he struggled to get up again, Shockwave shot him in his chassis. He collapsed against the wall, Energon leaking from his wound. 

Shockwave advanced on Stardust and the sparklings, who were forced into a corner.

“No,” Starscream weakly called out. “Please. No.”

Shockwave ignored him and continued advancing. 

When the noise from the plasma cannon died away, Starscream crawled over to where his family’s offline bodies lay. He cradled Stardust’s body, ignoring the Energon leaking from his own chassis.

Shockwave crossed the room and stood over Starscream.

“Are you going to willingly come with me?” he asked.

“I hope you rust, you acid-ridden slag heap,” Starscream swore. 

“Fine. If that’s how you want to play this,” Shockwave said.

He reached down and grabbed Starscream’s arm, ignoring the hiss of pain that escaped him as Shockwave did so.

“If it’s any consolation, it was the only logical choice,” Shockwave said, his voice betraying no emotion over the cold-blooded murder he had just committed. “It was the only way to focus your attention.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Starscream said, his voice hoarse and broken.

“I suppose it wouldn’t to the uneducated mind,” Shockwave said haughtily. “But to those that understand, it was the only logical choice.”

Then he started pulling Starscream out of the house, ignoring his desperate attempts to free himself.

“Curse you and your logic!” Starscream yelled. Then more softly, “Curse you and your logic!”


End file.
